Hello Everyone! I am currently in Nashville, Tennessee visiting friends and wanted to give you all an update concerning my endeavor. I still very much want to leave for Moscow on August 29th but things are looking grim. I am still waiting on my invitation from the school and then I have to apply for my Visa with the Russian government. I spoke with Amber (the other AIMer who has been in Moscow for 15 months, but is currently home for a visit) and she said she is not able to leave next week as originally planned because she too has [View Full Entry]

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Hello Blog Subscribers! I just wanted to give you an update about my trip. Many people have called me concerned about the "conflict" in Georgia. At this time I am still planning on leaving in the next couple of weeks. Georgia is quite a ways from Moscow and should not be a danger for me. I will keep tabs on the goings on in this area over the next several days. More than likely, unless the State Department issues a warning about traveling to Russia I will be headed out on the 29th! Please keep me in your prayers and I [View Full Entry]

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Getting frantic. Why are we both so messy/disorganized? I want to leave NOW. But there are so many piles... To look on the bright side, t-minus ~3.5 days until we leave. ------danielle [View Full Entry]

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Six o'clock on Friday evening Momma doesn' t know she's leaving 'Til she hears the screen door slamming Rubber squealin', gears a-jamming Local country station just a blaring on the radio Pick him up at seven and they're headin' to the rodeo Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warning Girl you better get your red head Back in bed before the morning Nine o'clock the show is ending But the fun is just beginning She knows he's anticipating But she's gonna keep him waiting Grab a bite to eat And then they're heading to the honkey tonk But [View Full Entry]

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Hochatown, Oklahoma, 19 juillet Le pays cajun cache bien ses secrets, probablement au fond du bayou, et je dois avouer que l'Acadiana ne m'a pas emballé plus qu'il le fallait. J'avais peut être une image un peu romantique de cette terre d'accueil des déportés de 1755, mais je n'y ai pas fait les contacts que j'espérais. Certes, la présence de ces cajuns est visible par les patronymes que l'on observe un peu partout; Boudreau, Thibodeau, Lambert, Chiasson... La cuisine cajun est aussi à l'honneur et les restaurants qui offrent ces spécialités sont nombreux (les écrevisses ne font pas mentir [View Full Entry]

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Traveling from Memphis, TN to Oklahoma City, OK. We go from Memphis to Arkansas. I didn't like the first 2 hours of Arkansas, it looked flat and uninteresting. Sort of anywhere, USA. Closer to Little Rock, Arkansas got beautiful. I think I like seeing mountains - it is so different from where we live. All of Oklahoma is beautiful to me. The day is overcast, looks like big thunderstorms may be moving in. It doesn't rain on us, but the sky makes everything look lush and green. We are relaxed, just enjoying the trip. [View Full Entry]

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Here we go, off to the other side of the world (more or less). Packing wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be.. but I'm taking a pretty big suitcase (and an extra one for souveniers ha). I took a picture of it because I just wanted to see how they worked.. I know a packed bag isn't all that fun to look at. =D. It's a little scary thinking about having to do everything by ourselves, but I know we can manage because it's also really exciting. We're headed to Chicago tonight and then we have an early flight [View Full Entry]

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At this time 4 days from now, Lauren and I will be checking into our hotel in Chicago (hopefully) on our way to England! (We have a rather long layover, but hey whatever works for me.) I'm hoping that we'll be able to find some internet cafes while we're in Europe to keep you updated. I'm so excited, and a little nervous but I try not to think about it. I've got to go work on packing. I went shopping today because I realized I only own one pair of shorts. I understand we have to wash clothes in the sink, [View Full Entry]

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We got up early and rushed over to the Flying Ranch office. The owner's daughter, Christina, was set to take us all on a guided horseback ride through the ranch. None of us were experienced riders so we opted for an hour ride through the country side. Both of the kids did really well on horse back and we all had a great time. After the ride, the owner took us all in his pick up truck out into the pasture to see the bison and the long horned steer. We drove right up to them and they posed for pictures [View Full Entry]

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Day One is securely locked away in the constructs of three memory banks, assuredly a little different for each, but I have the pleasure of beginning the online dumpster that will help us keep tabs on the enormous amount of stimuli we’re about to encounter. Travelblog, you’re in charge of keeping these things clear. Here’s how mine unloads. Miles Traveled: 590 Hours Driven: 12 Cities Landed: Saint Louis, Missouri / Tulsa, Oklahoma In Saint Louis, the GPS system (nicknamed Andrea for companionship purposes) began leading us through the city to the Arch, only to take us [View Full Entry]

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